Love and Saviour
by speck211
Summary: OOTP spoilers
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters Virginia Weasely, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasely, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger or Lucius Malfoy. The Harry Potter universe belongs to author J.K. Rowling (as I'm sure everyone knows).  
  
Ginny Weasley walked the halls of Hogwarts with the "Dream Team" who were on their way to a Potions lesson, taught by their most hated professor Severus Snape. Ginny herself had some time on her hands, and decided to accompany them for lack of anything better to do. They were all chatting about a Quidditch game that Gryffindor had won against Slytherin the day before, thanks to Harry's unique Seeker talents. He had been a tad over zealous as it was his first game since that Umbridge woman had taken his broom, so needless to say, it had ended in a rather uncanny way.  
  
"I still cannot believe you caught the Snitch in your pants. That's one for the books!" Ron said with a laugh.  
  
Harry blushed. "Stop reminding me."  
  
"I mean I can understand down your shirt-"  
  
"Ron." Ginny scolded.  
  
"Honestly, swallowing it was unbelievable."  
  
"Ron, leave him be." She said, trying not to smile.  
  
"But catching with your pants? Now that takes skill!"  
  
"All right, that'll do." Said Hermione sternly, but her mouth was twitching dangerously.  
  
"You're right. I'm sorry. Really, you did a good job regardless." He pat him on the back.  
  
"Thanks." Harry smiled, not actually that bothered.  
  
"Sure, Harry." Ginny piped up, trying to make him feel better about the situation. "I don't think anyone is even thinking about it. They're just happy you beat Slytherin." She pulled her robes tighter around her, as they were now in the freezing cold dungeons. They approached the door to the dimly lit potion's room.  
  
The others were nodding in agreement to her statement, when a drawling voice came from behind them, making them shiver unanimously in disgust. "I would hardly choose the word 'beat'. Once again, Potter, you managed to fluke another win."  
  
They could feel Malfoy's smirk directed at them. The older three meant to simply ignore him, as they had learned by now it was the only way to be rid of him. But Ginny, she wouldn't have it. She didn't know much about the horrid history they had with Malfoy, only what they had told her, and of course she'd had her own run ins with him a few times. She knew his reputation of being a cold, unfeeling, aristocratic bastard, and learned all the terrifying rumors about his father. And who could forget the much-vindicated 'Ferret' incident? Why, she herself had been able to overpower him just last year. On top of all that, he had insulted her friend, and she wasn't going to take it lying down. She turned to face Malfoy who was too busy guffawing with his friends to notice at first.  
  
"Ginny?" Said Ron in an 'are you nuts?' tone of voice. She just waved her hand at him in dismissal and stared Malfoy in the eye with a hard glare as he turned, finally seeing her in front of him.  
  
"What, are you a sore loser Malfoy?" she asked accusingly.  
  
Malfoy was slightly taken off guard. He hadn't expected any of them to defend themselves, least of all the youngest Weasley. The most intelligent thing he could think of to say under pressure was, "Move it, Red."  
  
Ginny gave a sarcastic cringe, clearly not going anywhere.  
  
"Wow, yer slipping Mal-ferret. Even I could have come up with  
something better than that and that's saying something."  
  
Malfoy was becoming rather irritated. He didn't like the way his teasing was backfiring in his face. And now people were starting to arrive to class and were forming an audience. He wanted to finish this quickly. Ginny on the other hand was having the time of her life. This was surprisingly easy, making a fool of him, remarkably so.  
  
"Be careful who you mess with, Weasel." Malfoy warned, moving to get past her. But Ginny stood her ground, which evidently happened to be in his path.  
  
"Is that a threat?" She asked, not bothering to hide her amusement.  
  
"You are really pushing your luck kid." He said through gritted teeth. The classroom was filled with heavy tension. Who knew what a Malfoy was willing to do, or capable of doing, for that matter?  
  
"Ginny..." Hermione whispered urgently. But Ginny didn't hear her. She was enjoying watching Malfoy squirm too much.  
  
"Oh, what are you going to do," she cooed mockingly, "sic your Daddy on me?  
  
Malfoy's face went red with pent-up anger, his lips a thin line as he glared viciously at Ginny. The little witch was going to pay for this humiliation. He suddenly whipped out his wand in frustration and pointed it in her face, his hand shaking with rage. Several onlookers gave gasped lightly and took a step back, but Ginny hadn't even flinched. She just looked at the tip of the wand with a bored expression. Malfoy lifted it above his head and began, "Rict-"  
  
"Oh please!" Ginny scoffed, and with a swift arm movement, had the wand in her hand and pointed at his chest in a flash.  
  
"You know, if you plan to stay a Seeker, you might want to work on those reflexes."  
  
She feigned handing the wand to him and at the last second threw it away behind him.  
  
"Go fetch, Ferret." She smirked.  
  
Malfoy was seething at this point. He had his hands ready to wrap around her neck. But before he could react, a booming voice at the front of the classroom roared, "MISS WEASLEY!"  
  
Everyone whipped around to see Professor Snape, who had entered through a door by his desk. He now stood behind this desk, looking nearly as enraged as Malfoy, if not more.  
  
"I have never, in all my years of teaching at Hogwarts, witnessed such insolence." He said in an eerily calm voice.  
  
"You, young lady, will serve a detention here every evening after school. For a week. Now pick up his wand and then leave my classroom immediately."  
  
"But sir-"  
  
"Would you like to go for two weeks!" He threatened with sudden ferocity. Ginny looked at the floor a moment, biting her tongue, as she didn't want to get into more trouble. When the temptation to swear had passed, she lifted her head with a plastered on smile.  
  
"No sir. Sorry sir." She replied, overly sweet. She walked past Malfoy, bumping him with her shoulder as she did. She picked up the wand, then turned to him, the smile still on her face. She leaned in close to his ear.  
  
"You'd better watch it Mal-ferret, or I might stick a muggle-born between your sheets." She hissed, then thumped the wand hard into his chest. He fought the urge to strangle her to death, and instead just sneered down at her, snatching the wand from her grasp. They appeared to be battling mentally as they stood staring at one another hatefully.  
  
"Good-bye, Miss Weasley!" Snape shouted, breaking their eye contact. Ginny looked to him, then back at Malfoy. Then she turned and left the classroom, the stares of the stunned sixth years on her back. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ginny sat at one of the library tables later that afternoon, thoughtfully staring out the window to her left. Her bag sat open beside her, but she hadn't removed any books. Her mind was too busy for work just then.  
  
She had a detention with Snape.  
  
Every night.  
  
For a week.  
  
Then again, Malfoy had lost face in public because of her. So it wasn't a complete loss.  
  
She smiled at the thought, rather delighted with what she had accomplished.  
  
It promptly vanished, however when her wandering gaze fell on the last person she wanted to see. She quickly turned away, hoping against hope that he hadn't spotted her too. But she knew it was no such luck, hearing Malfoy's voice come ever closer while he spoke with his entourage of ape- men, Crabbe and Goyle. She sighed and turned to face him as he took a seat across from her. His usual arrogant smirk had returned full-fledged. He nodded at her.  
  
"Weasley."  
  
"Malfoy."  
  
"Weasel."  
  
Ginny's mouth tightened.  
  
"Ferret."  
  
His confident demeanor barely flickered. He refused to be bested by her again.  
  
"Why don't you do us all a favour, and stop taking up our valuable space, hmm?" He raised an eyebrow in what he thought to be a clever manner, looking to his ape-men for support. Ginny leaned forward in her chair.  
  
"Why don't you do us all a favour, and die?" A smirk of her own graced her features as she slowly leaned back. "Hmm?"  
  
They stared hard at one another, Ginny seemingly daring him to retaliate. Finally, Malfoy broke the silence.  
  
"Crabbe, Goyle", he said, his eyes still set "go save a spot at the table for dinner." It took them both a moment to comprehend this, so Malfoy looked to them and shouted, "Now!" They took off at a blundering run. Ginny snickered softly at him.  
  
"Good idea. I'd hate to have to humiliate you in front of your little patrons again. You might lose their respect. That is, if they even know the meaning of the word..."  
  
Malfoy pretended to be unaffected by her statement. Instead he took to picking imaginary lint off his robes. "Yes, that was quite a little show you put on this afternoon. I hope you enjoyed it."  
  
"Oh, but I did." Her smirk became an all out, self-satisfied grin. Her triumphant tone caused Malfoy to look up sharply.  
  
"Well, is was your last." He leaned across the table and continued in an angry whisper, not wanting to rouse the hard-nosed librarian. "Maybe you don't realize who your screwing with here. You best mind yourself and don't pick fights with people you won't be able to handle. Little girl."  
  
"Is that right?" She appeared anything but intimidated  
  
"It is, Weasley."  
  
"Well, I've only got one problem with that."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"Your fly is down."  
  
A fleeting look of horror passed over him. He hastily covered the zipper of his pants, the glared at Ginny on seeing this wasn't so, causing her to laugh outright.  
  
"Ah Malfoy, little boy trying to play the big man. Very unbecoming."  
  
Malfoy quickly stood, appearing almost menacing in his state.  
  
"Just don't forget who your dealing with, Red. I'd hate to have to remind you."  
  
"Yes, I doubt you'd ever let me forget."  
  
At that, Malfoy gave one last sniff of contempt, grabbed his bag, and turning elegantly on his heel, stormed from the library. Ginny chuckled to herself, shaking her head at his idiocy. She grabbed her own bag then and stood to leave. But something in the chair beside Malfoy's caught her eye. She walked over to it, finding a drawstring sack full of what looked like books.  
  
'Couldn't hurt...' she assured herself and, making sure that no one was watching, sat down and casually lifted the bag on to her lap. Upon opening it, she knew right from the off that the books contained information on Dark Arts, simply from their appearance. She pulled them out, reading each title in turn. She was filled with elation as a realization dawned on her.  
  
"Why, Draco Malfoy, I believe these books are forbidden in this school..." She muttered cheerfully. Hastily returning the books to the bag, she tucked it under her arm and, with one last look around the library, left for the Gryffindor common room. 


	3. Chapter 3

She had it all planned out. Walk by him at the right moment, make sure he sees the bag; no doubt he would become irate...it was perfect. And just about time. She slung the bag, his bag, over her shoulder and made her way down the hall with an air of purpose. She noted the new DADA teacher, (who could give Filch a run for his money at creepiness), lurking in his classroom doorway, and moved to keep as far away from him as possible.  
  
Then, she spotted her mark. Malfoy was coming towards her, his affiliates close behind. She stared straight ahead, hitching the bag higher, not looking at Malfoy until she was just passing him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it. If one hadn't been paying attention well enough, one wouldn't have noticed at all. But since Ginny was looking for any kind of reaction possible, she saw it coming a mile away. It was the most miniscule of flinches that ran through his body, virtually undetectable. Grinning inwardly Ginny continued down the hall without looking back. She turned the corner and then up a flight of stairs to a room she had picked out. She stood in the doorway rocking on her heels, searching up and down the hall for any sign of platinum blonde hair.  
  
She certainly didn't expect the arm that grabbed her gruffly around her waist, pulling her into the room and shutting the door behind them. Malfoy stood before her, his arms crossed in what should have been impatience, had it not been for that expressionless face of his.  
  
"Malfoy." Ginny said, her voice simpering. "What a surprise."  
  
"Give them back."  
  
"What ever do you mean?" She did her best act of innocence, a near spot on imitation of her twin brothers. Malfoy rolled his eyes in frustration.  
  
"Don't be coy with me. Those are mine." He reached for the bag, but she pulled away before he could grab it. "And I want them back."  
  
"I'm sure you do Malfoy, these books are definitely not something you'd want a teacher to find on you. However, you're not really in any position to be making demands, now are you? I could bring these to one of the professors any time I want." She held the bag behind her back.  
  
"Enough of your games, Weasel. Hand them over." His visage was failing fast.  
  
"Absolutely." She backed away from him. "I'd be more than happy to." She sat back on a window ledge. "That is, if you agree to a deal I have in mind."  
  
"What?" Malfoy exclaimed. He should have known this was coming.  
  
"What do you mean 'what'?" Ginny asked, purely for agitation's sake. "A deal, Malfoy, an agreement and so forth."  
  
"I know what a deal is," he hissed, "don't patronize me. I meant, where the devil do you get off threatening me?"  
  
"Well," she looked up thoughtfully, "you're just so good at it yourself, and you know what they say: 'If you can't lick them, join them'. Right?"  
  
Malfoy eyed her with loathing. He would have to play along for now.  
  
"What exactly did you 'have in mind'?" He asked through gritted teeth.  
  
Ginny shrugged. "It's a simple enough request really." She searched for the right words, then decided it would be best to just come out and say it. "Teach me."  
  
There was a moment of silence.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" He asked, as if he thought it were a joke.  
  
Ginny took a deep breath.  
  
"I don't think it's any secret that our world is facing difficult times. Now that the Ministry has finally admitted to Voldemort's," Malfoy winced slightly, "return, I think it's safe to assume that they will only get harder. And personally, I don't want to go down without a fight." She let the weight of the words sink in, though they affected her more than him, and continued. "So I figure, if you value your comfortable life that is, you can teach me everything you know about the Dark Arts, and I can be ready for what ever happens."  
  
She knew it would happen; it was inevitable. But that didn't make the ring of Malfoy's laughter in her ears sting any less. She stood solemnly, waiting for his outburst to pass.  
  
"Oh thank you I needed that." He said, wiping away tears. "But I wish you would be serious about this."  
  
Ginny had a decidedly peaceful look about her.  
  
"I am serious. I just thought, on seeing your choice of reading material, that you may have an...how can I put this delicately...insiders view of what to expect."  
  
Her unspoken insult was worse than anything she could have said in his opinion. He new exactly what she was hinting at; that he was some sort of child minion of Voldemort's. And he wasn't about to stand for that.  
  
"Look, no one gives orders to a Malfoy, least of all a Weasley. So what ever you had in mind, you can just forget it." He turned to go then, but Ginny called after him.  
  
"Of course!"  
  
Malfoy slowly stopped, looking up as if asking for divine help, then over his shoulder at Ginny.  
  
"I should of known." She continued. "I've watched my brothers beat you to a pulp countless times. Hell, even I've had my go at you. I don't know why I ever thought you would be able to defend yourself in any way."  
  
Malfoy straightened. His cavalier attitude resurfaced, clear in every word.  
  
"If you only knew how wrong you were. Do you have any idea, in that thick head of yours, what would happen if I were to defend myself in the way I know how? Well, I'd be expelled for one, and then those books wouldn't matter, would they?" He stepped closer to her. "Trust me Weasel. I know how to do things you couldn't even imagine in nightmares. I know how to do more things than half the wizards in Azkaban prison, and I...I... am not going to fall for this." He finished, realizing she was only trying to make his pride get the better of him, and made to leave again, not wanting to hear anymore.  
  
He wasn't sure how it happened exactly. All Malfoy knew was that he had ended up on the ground, a great pain surging through his knees and elbows, and the Weasel had somehow flipped him on his back, now sitting on him in a most uncomfortable position. He stared up at her in disbelief.  
  
"Have you gone completely mad?" He said, meaning to yell but not being able to do so as his air supply was rather limited.  
  
"Quite possibly. I'll get up if you agree, it's very simple really."  
  
"You've lost your mind! Get off me!"  
  
"Will you help me?"  
  
"I said, get off!"  
  
"Will you help me?" She asked more slowly, looking down at him with condescension. "We're not going anywhere until you do."  
  
"This isn't happening." He muttered, shutting his eyes in hopes that the mad woman would disappear. But of course he wasn't so lucky. With a resigned sigh, he set his jaw and looked her straight in the eye.  
  
"Fine." He managed to choke out.  
  
Ginny smiled sweetly at him.  
  
"Good boy." She gave him a quick peck on the forehead, from which Malfoy tried to recoil, and then stood, offering her hand to help him do the same. "You can go now."  
  
He helped himself to his feet and backed away from her as if she would strike at any moment, his face livid.  
  
"I won't forget this Weasel. I won't. You're going to regret this, believe me."  
  
"Ah, idle threats Malfoy. Just be here Thursday, after dinner."  
  
With that she walked past him and exited the room, an annoyingly bouncy spring in her step. 


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny paced the empty classroom, every once in while looking at the door in passing as if she expected it to open (ironically) by magic. She grumbled idly to herself about arrogant prats and their complete disregard for human decency while wringing her hands angrily. Several more minutes of this passed until she stomped her foot in finality, having decided to give up on a certain arrogant prat. She picked up her things to leave and was just at the door when it suddenly swung open, causing her to take a step back.  
  
Malfoy entered, a pronounced scowl on his face, clearly not wanting to be there. Ginny waited for her heart to slow from the shock he'd caused and said carefully,  
  
"Didn't think you'd show..."  
  
"Yeah, well believe me I didn't want to. But what choice do I have?" He walked past her, putting his own stuff down in a corner. "I'd rather deal with you than with this excuse for a school. And they'd probably involve my father and-"  
  
He stopped there, turning his back to her and rummaging through his stuff. Ginny nervously cleared her throat, walking over to him.  
  
"Well, just behave and you won't have to deal with me for long."  
  
"Yes, thank you." He replied with sarcasm. "And may I just say how almost impossible this room is to find when your flaming head isn't hanging out the door? It's no wonder you and the rest of that laughable 'army' were able to stay hidden from Umbridge for so long last year."  
  
He surveyed the Room of Requirement; the same room Harry had discovered for the 'Dumbledore's Army' meetings. The same room she'd blackmailed him in only yesterday. It was now a room with hard wood walls, a floor with thick padding of foam-like slabs, and different pieces of protective equipment hanging all around. When Ginny had told him how to find this room, he almost didn't believe her. But he couldn't risk her ratting him out just to protect his pride. His statement had hurt Ginny a bit as she had felt quite clever for thinking of this room. It wasn't her fault he couldn't find it.  
  
"Unless you'd rather someone should walk in on us, I think this is perfectly fine. We wouldn't want to ruin your precious reputation after all."  
  
A cold air weighed between them. Ginny was beginning to regret this whole idea. She finally broke the silence with a frustrated sigh.  
  
"So?" She demanded, her arms crossed in waiting. Malfoy eyed her in mild confusion.  
  
"What do you...don't look at me! This was your brilliant scheme, Weasel, and you'll get as little help from me as I can muster." He pointed his finger in her face. She pushed it away inirritance.  
  
"Why do you keep using that asinine name? It's not even funny!"  
  
"It's become a force of habit, really." He smiled to himself.  
  
"Do you even know my name?"  
  
"Of course!" He said, a tad too quickly, hoping she wouldn't press the matter further.  
  
"Do you? What is it then?" She stared at him anticipatorily.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. It's...it's...."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Shut up! It's..."  
  
"Ginny..." she whispered coaxingly.  
  
"...Ginny! I know that! It's Ginny." He nodded his head triumphantly.  
  
"Well done. Anyway," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Look, if you won't choose where we start, then I will. Just-just tell me what I ought to expect, spells I might encounter, defenses...anything!" She threw her arms up imploringly.  
  
Malfoy deliberated on this without much heart, soon coming up with a rough plan despite himself.  
  
"All right, fine." He said with a note of challenge, withdrawing his wand. "Let's go, little girl."  
  
And so began the first lesson. It was slow at first, Malfoy showing her things she'd already practiced at the DA meetings. But once he heard enough of her complaints as to how she'd "learned all this from Harry", he ventured into more difficult curses and hexes, teaching how to deflect as well as inflict them. By the end, Ginny felt like she could take on Snape, though she didn't dare. Her spirits were high as she headed back to her dormitory that night, barely able to contain her excitement towards the next lesson. 


	5. Chapter 5

Where could he be? She wondered. He has to be here somewhere. This school isn't that big.  
  
She laughed softly at the absurdity of the idea. This was Hogwart's. It could be endless for all she knew.  
  
Ginny Weasley was on a mission, looking to deliver a message to Malfoy. He, however, was remaining elusive for the time being.  
  
They'd only had three 'sessions' (as she liked to call them) to date, and already Ginny felt rather empowered. She was quick to the draw, could defend herself on a whim, and though she couldn't inflict very severe damage as of yet, she could still put you out of commission for a good week or so. She could even cast a memory-modifying charm with a careless flick of the wrist, if she felt so inclined.  
  
Her skill level surprised Malfoy, though he'd never say that outright. Instead he took to pointing out the most minor of discrepancies in Ginny's technique, quite pleased with the way it made her cheeks flush in suppressed anger.  
  
But Ginny put all these thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. She had to find Malfoy to tell him their session tomorrow would have to be held later, due to that ratfink, Snape. He'd moved last night's detention to the very time they had arranged for training. Ginny couldn't help but wonder if just maybe Snape had a sixth sense for ruining a person's day.  
  
Her head snapped to attention then as she heard an all to familiar drawl drifting around the corner ahead of her. She moved close to the wall and peered around it. Malfoy stood there, his back to her, surrounded by a pack of Slytherin counter-parts. They were all laughing at the various jokes, or rather insults, he was making about different teachers and students.  
  
"You never stop, do you?" Ginny muttered, shaking her head.  
  
The group slowly began to break as class time drew near. Finally, Malfoy was left standing with just two friends, whom Ginny recognized as Blaise Zabani and Millicent Bullstrode. They appeared to be leaving as well, so Ginny decided to make her move.  
  
"Malfoy." She called, trying to draw as little attention to the word as possible. As she had hoped, Malfoy turned around, but her heart sank as Zabani and Bullstrode did the same.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked, with more malice than Ginny felt necessary.  
  
"I-" She eyed the two behind him warily. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
"What's that? You want a quib or two, I suppose? Well, no need to say it, your robes speak for themselves."  
  
Ginny's ears burned in embarrassment.  
  
"No. I only wanted-"  
  
"Look," he rudely interrupted, "why don't you hold company with someone in your own league. Say, a house elf?"  
  
She heard the snickers behind him as Zabani and Bullstrode stepped closer.  
  
"Whose this little girl?" Millicent asked.  
  
Malfoy smirked at the nickname he (unbeknownst to his friend of course, which made it all the more hilarious) had invented for Ginny.  
  
"No one important. Looks like a pathetic Weasel to me."  
  
Ginny's face grew hot. When it came to wands she could duel with the best of them. But in a war of words, she simply came up short at times. This being one of them, she did what any sensible person would do. She ran.  
  
Ran back around the corner, down a flight of stairs, through an empty classroom and around another corner. She was fuming at this point.  
  
Where did he get off? Sure, Ginny didn't see them as friends exactly, but she thought they had at least learned to be civil with one another. She supposed this meant their lessons were over, but could careless at the moment. She was thinking of all the wonderfully horrible things she could do to that imbecile, when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her behind a gargoyle statue into a crevice in the wall, and she came face to face with the imbecile himself.  
  
"You." She said, the word dripping with loathing.  
  
"Now, now that's not a very friendly greeting, is it?"  
  
"More than you deserve. I got the impression we were far below friendly. You snake." She glared daggers, mentally willing his head to explode.  
  
"You're angry." He stated.  
  
"No kidding, is it obvious?" she spat sarcastically.  
  
"Why are you angry?" he asked, as innocently as if he were asking about the neighbour's dog.  
  
"Why? Why am I angry? You've got to be joking!" Ginny exclaimed, shaking his hand off her arm, which he raised in mock surrender.  
  
"I beg your pardon Weasel, but-"  
  
"Weasley!" She shouted, ignoring the urge to stamp her foot. "The name is Weasley."  
  
"Look, Weasel, if anyone has the right to be angry, I think it should be me."  
  
He watched her sputter in rage, his expression unchanging.  
  
"You think that-! Uh-ho you've got a lot of nerve, Malfoy." She turned to leave the small alcove, but he grabbed her once again.  
  
"I'm sorry, perhaps you don't understand the delicate nature of the situation we're in. The situation you've created mind you. Well, let me spell it out for you." This sudden viciousness was staggering, and his grip was tightening painfully. "I was hoping you would be intelligent enough to realize that it isn't exactly advantageous for us to be seen together, certainly not on speaking terms. I thought it was common knowledge." He gently released her arm then and gave her one of his many superior looks that he had come to master so well. "But obviously, I expected too much." He folded his arms across his chest. "I should of known."  
  
Ginny was prime to slap him.  
  
"You great prat! 'Isn't advantageous for us' eh? Isn't advantageous for you, you mean, being seen with riff raff like me, am I right?"  
  
"Weasel, Weasel," Malfoy shook his head, his tone condescending, "get over yourself. I'm merely looking out for both our interests."  
  
"Yeah, like hell you are Malfoy."  
  
"Good lord, you can't possibly be this dense! Are you honestly that blind to the consequences of any kind of relationship between us?"  
  
He was agitated again, that was clear. Ginny decided not to provoke him further for the moment, and let him continue in silence.  
  
"Imagine your school life, for one. If our battling houses didn't ostracize us, they would at least never look at us the same way again. And that doesn't begin to describe how our families would react. Or more importantly, how your brothers might react..." He brought his hands to his throat at the thought.  
  
This had to be a first, a Malfoy showing signs of discomfort. Ginny was somewhat amused by this.  
  
"Draco Malfoy," The corners of her mouth turned up in a sanctimonious grin, "I didn't know you could actually be intimidated by anyone. You seemed too arrogant."  
  
"Please, I may be arrogant but I'm not simple. I know when I'm outmatched...and outnumbered. Of course, I'm not one to admit it."  
  
"I believe you just did." Her grin widened.  
  
"Oh that's all right. You won't be telling anyone." He said, his voice sounding almost bored with its certainty. The smile fell from Ginny's face.  
  
"What makes you so sure?" She asked sullenly, catching herself in mid pout.  
  
He faced her, fixing her with a disdainful countenance.  
  
"Because I'm the only one here who can do what I do, which means you need my help. Clearly more than your willing to admit to yourself."  
  
He was right, of course. He had an annoying way of being so when it mattered. Ginny tried to cling to the few scraps of dignity she still held.  
  
"Don't be thinking so highly of yourself, Malfoy. I'm the one holding the cards, or books as it were. I wouldn't be singing my own praises so readily if I were you."  
  
She walked out from behind the statue and made her way to her next class.  
  
"What time tomorrow, Weasel?" He called after her.  
  
Ginny didn't answer at first, then looked over her shoulder, "You'll hear from me." She continued on her way without looking back.  
  
"Right." Malfoy smiled to himself, and began walking to his own class. 


	6. Chapter 6

AN: As you can see I have decided to continue since I was unaware that people were actually enjoying this fic. Heh. And thank you all, by the by, for those wonderful reviews, an author couldn't hope for better. Well, the story is gonna get a bit...typical, but I just can't help it, it's so fun to write, so...anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy it some more! (  
  
Over the next month, the lessons progressed rather rapidly. Ginny was finding it scarily easy to evade her brother's probing questions, (which wasn't really that difficult to begin with as he and Hermione were more concerned with Harry), and also her friends' quizzical stares. She was becoming extremely pleased with the whole arrangement, knowing she was now able to protect herself better than any D.A. meeting would have enabled her, though hating to admit it. She was learning things no regular wizard would know, which was somewhat frightening when she thought about it. But she had made a mental pact with herself to use the knowledge only for defense and never against anyone. She had become steadily more curious as to where Malfoy could have learned it all, but never thought to question him about it outright. She didn't want to risk upsetting him and losing the lessons she had come to view as vital. While Ginny couldn't imagine what more there could be to learn, they were still going strong after so long a time.  
Outside, one afternoon, the weather was oddly warm and bright for mid- November. Ginny had suggested they practice outdoors, somewhere secluded, as the weather was refreshingly lovely. They were now sitting under a tree taking a break. Ginny was lying on her back, looking plaintively up between the branches at the light clouds overhead, while Malfoy, his back against the tree, played with a blade of grass. Then Ginny spoke, more to break the quiet than anything.  
  
"Do...do you ever wonder what Snape would be like on a date?" She asked thoughtfully. Malfoy looked down at her as if she had suddenly sprouted a growth on her forehead.  
  
"No." He said in a disbelieving tone. This left them in awkward silence. Then, Ginny could feel Malfoy beginning to laugh beside her. This set her off in embarrassed giggles, which only made him laugh harder. Soon they were both gripping their sides in what seemed like ceaseless laughter. They came down after a minute, gasping for air. Ginny, the mirth still in her voice, said,  
  
"'Kay, I was just curious." She settled back comfortably in the grass.  
  
"You're an absolute loon, you know that?"  
  
"Well, what do you expect, you haven't said a word in the past hour, save firing directions at me like some drill sergeant." She turned on her stomach to see him better propping her head up on her hands. "So how am I doing, anyway? I mean personally I think I'm doing quite well, but you haven't said a word on it. How do I fare?"  
  
Malfoy looked at her hopeful expression and rolled his eyes. "You're...I don't know, you're..." He drifted off from there.  
  
"That good, eh?" Ginny smiled at him. He looked away.  
  
"What are you on about, I didn't even say anything."  
  
"Well, that's it isn't it? If I were doing badly, you wouldn't hesitate to insult me."  
  
"Ah, of course." He said flatly and sighed. Ginny studied his face with a furrowed brow.  
  
"I've hurt your feelings?" She questioned, truly surprised at this fact.  
  
"Don't be daft." Malfoy scoffed. He crossed his arms as if to close the matter, but Ginny pressed on.  
  
"Come on, what did I say? I didn't-"  
  
"Look, I just don't appreciate your constant insinuations that I'm some sort of evil incarnate, all right?" He hadn't meant to snap, but her continuous and blatant implications as to what a rat bastard he was had tried his nerves. Ginny didn't know quite what to say.  
  
"It wasn't meant to insult you, Malfoy. I mean, you seem to take pride in being that way."  
  
"Well, I can't help it, it's just how I was raised! And look where it landed my father? I can't be much proud about it anymore, can I?"  
  
Ginny felt winded from his words. She had completely forgotten about his father. Here she was insulting his very demeanor, while his father, the man from who he had learned it all and idolized, had fallen from grace over night. It never occurred to her that it was actually affecting him in some way. She looked up at him apologetically.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said softly.  
  
"Just forget it." He muttered, leaning his head back against the tree and closing his eyes. He already felt stupid enough for saying all he had, and didn't want it to get any worse.  
  
Ginny watched him with concern for a while. Then, without really thinking, she moved to him and gently rested her head on his chest. Malfoy opened an eye to peer down at her.  
  
"What in blazes are you doing?" He asked. Ginny shrugged.  
  
"Resting my eyes?" She suggested.  
  
"Come on, get up." He nudged her with his arm. Ginny didn't respond.  
  
"I mean it, Weasel, get out of it." Malfoy demanded. However, Ginny merely shushed him.  
  
"Weasel's sleeping." She whispered, not willing to move at all. Malfoy shifted uncomfortably. This was entirely too strange for his liking and he was beginning to panic.  
  
"I really think you should get up." He said, a note of pleading in his voice.  
  
"I quite agree Mr. Malfoy." Said a gruff, authoritative voice. The pair jumped as if they'd been shocked. They looked up to see the towering figure of Professor McGonagall. They quickly got to their feet, straightening their robes and such.  
  
"Professor." Malfoy nodded. McGonagall surveyed them suspiciously.  
  
"I am to inform you that a special assembly will be taking place in the Great Hall in a short time. I suggest you...collect yourselves and make your way there. Understood?"  
  
"Yes ma'am." They mumbled and moved quickly towards the school. They didn't notice the small smirk that graced their teacher's face as she watched them go before she moved on to the Quidditch pitch to inform the practicing Ravenclaw team of the assembly. 


	7. AN :P

Im sorry to waste another chapter thing with this but....this story just feels like such drek! I mean...doesn't it seem so clichè and just derivative of all the other stories on here? my confidence in it is waning. its very important to me that it be fresh and that the characters have the same feel as the book and i just dont think thats happening.....im not sure what im hoping to achieve from this rant....i'll see what i can do.... 


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